1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which has functions of a printer, copying machine, facsimile apparatus, and the like, a control method of the image forming apparatus, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses such as a printer, copying machine, facsimile apparatus, and the like have been developed as multifunction peripherals (MFPs) which integrate these functions as the functions become complicated. Such MFPs comprise more advanced functions of editing images on themselves, executing processing in cooperation with external services or the like, and so forth. Furthermore, MFPs which can execute a plurality of processes to be executed that are combined into one sequence, are increasing for the purpose of facilitation of users' works in an office. Note that one sequence obtained by combining a plurality of processes will be referred to as a “processing flow” and each process included in the flow will be referred to as a “step” hereinafter.
Such flow is executed on the MFP upon reception of a user's instruction. The MFP executes all the steps included in the flow in response to an execution start instruction. However, some steps included in the flow require an individual user's instructions as for execution of these steps.
For example, the flow may include a “preview confirmation” step that displays a scan result after originals are scanned. In this step, the user needs to input an instruction to move pages to be displayed, or a confirmation end instruction to the MFP by pressing buttons or the like. Also, in a step of sending an e-mail message by appending a scanned original file to it, the MFP often prompts the user to designate a destination mail address and mail title. When the user gives the instruction to execute the flow including such steps and the process advances to a step that requires a user's instruction, the MFP interrupts the processing of the flow by displaying a window for waiting for a user's instruction.
When the user is near the MFP even after he or she has given the instruction to start the processing flow, the user can issue an instruction by watching the window of the MFP, thus posing no problem. However, the user does not always recognize the processing contents of all steps included in the flow. When the user gives the instruction to execute the flow and moves away from the MFP soon, he or she cannot confirm the window displayed by the MFP.
In such case, the MFP displays the window that waits for a user's instruction, and is suspended in that state. In order to proceed with the flow, the user needs to return to the MFP and to issue an instruction. Some MFPs have a function of forcibly canceling the processing after an elapse of a predetermined period of time while it is left untouched without any instruction. In either case, the user needs to move or to redo the processing from the beginning, thus impairing convenience.
Hence, when the user is away from the MFP, a function of notifying the user that his or her instruction is required, and allowing the user to issue an instruction to the MFP from a remote place such as his or her own seat is required.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-150763 discloses a printer which eliminates trouble associated with printing when such trouble is posed. This printer comprises a trouble notification unit such as a UI or the like which notifies a computer of a trouble, and instructs the computer to execute a coping method, and an elimination processor which executes processing for eliminating the trouble upon reception of an instruction for eliminating the trouble from the computer.
However, the aforementioned related art covers notification of an accidental event, that is, a trouble that occurs in a printer, and an instruction to eliminate that trouble. The related art does not consider who is notified of occurrence of a trouble and from whom an instruction is received. For example, assume that users A and B independently give the instruction to start execution of the flows including steps that require a user's instructions. In this case, user A needs to issue a restart instruction to the flow that he or she gave the instruction to start execution for. On the other hand, user B needs to issue a restart instruction to the flow that he or she gave the instruction to start execution for. In other words, a method of allowing restart of the flow for each user is required. That is, when user A gives the instruction to restart the flow, the flow for user B is not started.
In the related art, when a trouble of the printer is notified, and the user issues an instruction from a computer to eliminate the trouble, the printer restarts the processing. If the flow that user A gives the instruction to start execution for includes a step that requires an instruction, a notification is sent to user B, and user B issues an instruction to that step, thereby restarting the flow. Since the flow is processed although user A has not ever issued an instruction, trouble may occur.
Since trouble is an accidental event, its timing of occurrence cannot be predicted in advance. Hence, when the user sets the notification method and instructions to prepare for unpredictable events, the operability may be impaired.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the aforementioned problems, and has as its object to allow the user to efficiently and appropriately restart execution of the flow when the flow suspends to wait for a user's instruction.